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DIPOL Weekly Review - TV and SAT TV, CCTV, WLAN

No. 2/2011 (Jan. 10, 2011)

A total surveillance system. At night it detects a man-sized object from a distance of 21 km, from 11 km it can distinguish if the object is a man or something else, and allows to identify human faces from a distance of 6 km... These are some capabilities of FLIR thermal cameras used mainly by armed forces and services for border protection, as well by specialized security services protecting airfields, airports etc. The potential of Ranger HRC long range thermal imaging surveillance system is even higher. The portable HRC system typically consists of the first-class thermal camera, color optical camera, laser rangefinder, GPS module and digital magnetic compass. The thermal camera is able to recognize the difference in temperature as small as 0.02 degree Celsius. The second camera for visible light can be equipped with a lens with 120x zoom, allowing to identify human faces much easier than in the case of thermal imaging. The laser rangefinder determines the exact distance to the detected object, the GPS module locates the accurate geographical position. The HRC set can be coupled with an automatic monitoring system, scanning an area and tracking some detected objects. The thermal camera uses 640 x 480 InSb focal plane array. The high resolution and sensitivity of the large format detector ensures excellent image quality. The system can operate at temperatures from -32oC to +55oC.

Thermal cameras, until recently used mainly in power and construction industries, are winning the CCTV market. They are indispensable for border protection, especially at sea. The cameras are also very effective in protecting strategic infrastructure such as power plants, dams, bridges. Thermal cameras are insensitive to weather conditions and smoke.

Thermal imaging relies on detecting radiation in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic waves are emitted by any physical body with temperature above absolute zero. The intensity of thermal radiation is rising with the temperature of the object. This radiation is called infrared radiation or heat radiation. Infrared spectrum is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm, i.e. between visible light and radio waves.

The infrared spectrum can be divided into the following sub-ranges:

near infrared (NIR): 0.7-5 um)

mid infrared (MIR): 5-30 um)

far infrared (FIR): 30-1000 um)

In view of the fact that infrared radiation in most of the sub-ranges is significantly suppressed by the Earth's atmosphere, the manufacturers of the thermal imaging systems have chosen bands with minimum attenuation, 3-5 um and 8-14 um. Another problem in thermal imaging is an adequate visualization. This task is performed by advanced image processing algorithms. To make an image from the infrared camera readable and sharp, it must be processed before displaying. The process is usually called Digital Detail Enhancement (DDE).

Fortunately, there is a wireless communication in this country. No negative temperatures in the subtropics allow to make installations in the strange way shown in the photo. Most of the cables carry electricity. Fortunately, fixed telephony and cable television are not specially popular in this country - otherwise the number of the cables would be multiplied! There are about 36 million subscribers of fixed telephone lines, while the residents of the country use 706 million mobile phones. This ratio is an inherent characteristic of Third World countries, in which it is hard to develop the traditional telephone infrastructure. The development of mobile telephony in this country is really incredible, with about 100 million new subscribers in 2010! Which country are we talking about here? - Guess and check your answer at the end of the Newsletter.

No negative temperatures in the subtropics allow to make installations in the strange way shown in the photo. Which country are we talking about here? - Guess and check your answer at the end of the Newsletter.

Tata has a big role in the development of wireless communication - Tata DOCOMO, Tata Sky, Tata Indycom.

Mobile phones are often distributed by traditional small shops

Multiswitch systems in Katowice, Poland. A housing cooperative in Katowice decided to upgrade antenna systems in several apartment buildings. The goal of the investor was to provide satellite and terrestrial signals to each apartment.

The task was undertaken by Tech-Sat company. So far, the project has been carried out in 6 buildings, each with 12-16 outlets.

The outdoor components of the system.

In the picture on the right you can see watertight compression F-type connectors - TRS-9 NT PCT E80340

The choice of star topology for the systems has been dictated by a relatively small number of outlets in each of the buildings. Each building employs TERRA MSR-916 R70816 multiswitch that combines the satellite and terrestrial signals and allows to distribute them to all apartments. The terrestrial TV signals are amplified and equalized by WWK-861 R89860 amplifiers. It is very important for SMATV systems to equalize the signal levels.

Hikvision has been selected as the general contractor for the deployment of 500,000 camera points. Hikvision company will design the system and deploy high-performance video surveillance products and solutions implementing a safe city program for Chongqing, one of the municipalities in China which covers an area of over 82,000 square kilometers with a population of about 32 million people. The total project value is estimated at 800 million dollars. The whole project will be finished in two or three years, beginning with 2011.

A panorama of Chongqing

Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the world's leading suppliers of video surveillance products and solutions. Its headquarters and production plant are located in China and employ over 3600 staff. DIPOL offers a wide range of Hikvision DVRs designed for recording video from analog cameras: the 7300 series - M74040, M74080, M74160 - intended for low-budget projects, the 8100HDI series - M76080M76160M76081M76161 - combining high performance and a very reasonable price, and the high-end models of 8100HFI series - M78080M78160. All models can record video in the highest possible resolution - 4CIF.

We also sell IP cameras with megapixel ( K1440, K1441) and D1 ( K1140) resolutions, video servers supporting H.264 compression ( K2140), and some other CCTV equipment, including system control unit M77920 that supports all popular protocols for PTZ cameras.

In addition to the wide range of equipment, Hikvision also supplies an extensive software package. iVMS4000 application can be installed on PCs and used for remote management of CCTV devices connected to the IP network. iVMS4500 allows mobile access to the monitoring system from anywhere in the world using a smartphone (it supports all popular mobile operating systems). Local Playback Software allows to reproduce the video data recorded on the hard drives taken out of the DVRs, NVR Server records video streams from video servers. Investment in Hikvision equipment is a guarantee of the highest quality CCTV system providing exceptional security levels.

DIPOL is an authorized distributor of HIKVISION products

N-cam 690 - high quality camera at an affordable price. The M11275 camera has been equipped with superb 1/3'' CCD Super HAD II image sensor providing very good colors and fine detail of the images even in low-light conditions. High sensitivity (0.05 lx) allows viewing in color in very low light. Enhanced resolution of 550 TV lines ensures crisp video.

The camera has a built-in IR illuminator (42 LEDs) with range of 30-35 meters. The level of IR illumination can be adjusted, which allows for applications in small rooms.

Position of the camera is adjustable vertically (180o) and horizontally (360o), which is very handy during installation. Thanks to IP66 housing, the camera can operate outdoors, in any weather conditions. Additionally, double glazing eliminates fogging. Buttons available after twisting off the cap on the bottom of the camera control the OSD menu. In the same place there is video test output that allows the installer to connect a service monitor without disconnecting the camera from the circuit.

Video feed window without requiring any ActiveX controls - Aviosys cameras. Microsoft does not have a monopoly on web browser any more. Increased numbers of Internet users choose other products such as Mozilla Firefox or Opera. Unfortunately, most IP cameras require to use IE with ActiveX controls. This eliminates potential users that don't want to switch to IE.

Image Settings menu

The solution to the problem is to apply a Aviosys camera ( K1160, K1161, or K1162) which employs both MPEG-4 and MJPEG compressions. The selection of the actual video stream depends on the browser. In the case of IE, the user is informed about the necessity to install ActiveX controls. After consent, he or she gets the live video from MPEG-4 stream. However, if they connect to the camera using a competitive solution (Firefox, Opera, Chrome), this prompt does not appear, and the live video is decoded from MJPEG stream. The solution is very convenient, the camera automatically adjusts its data stream to the type of a particular browser.

What is DDNS and how to use it? If we wish to run a server for website hosting or accessing a CCTV camera, available from any Internet location, and we don't have a static IP address but a dynamic one, we have to use DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name System) service.

How to configure DDNS? - We have to perform the following operations:

1. DDNS account setup DDNS service is available, for example, at dyndns.org or no-ip.com, where we should register and configure our account.

3. Configuration of a PC connected to ADSL line via a USB modem If the computer is directly connected to ADSL line via a modem with USB interface, it requires to install appropriate software. It will allow for the automatic verification of the current IP address that is assigned by the DHCP server, which is located in the DDNS service. The program detects a change of IP address, reads it, and then connects to the DDNS server that provides the new, up-to-date information. The utility is available here.

DDNS service is often used when connecting CCTV DVRs to the Internet via ADSL lines. It allows for remote monitoring and playback despite the changes of external IP address.

Example configuration of CCTV system using DDNS service

India. It is the second most populous country in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. The government estimates that in 2013 the number of mobile phones will be roughly the same. The Internet infratructure is relatively poor. Although in the terms of the number of users (100 million), India ranks third in the world, the proportion is lower than the global average. The situation is even worse when it comes to connection quality - only about 10 million subscribers can benefit from broadband services, nearly 40 million access the Internet through mobile phones. India is one of the world leaders in the implementation of WiMax technology.

Economically and professionally with TREND DVRs. CCTV installers often have to live up to the high expectations of customers that do not have a budget allowing to install top quality equipment. The solution can be the professional TREND DVRs of 250 series. TREND 250X16 M72516 is a 16-channel DVR...

Be legal - use certified GSM repeaters. GSM repeaters used to improve cellular connectivity have to meet strict standards due to the possibility of disrupting operation of public cellular networks. The most demanding standard is associated with effective use of frequency spectrum - ETSI EN 300 609-4 V8.0.2. Before purchasing a GSM repeater, the customer should check if its CE declaration confirms compliance with that standard...